Background Recently it has become clear that inflammatory changes play a part in the development of atherosclerosis, including coronary artery disease, and Chlamydia pneumoniae (C. pneumoniae) is thought to be a proinflammatory factor. The plasma concentration of high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a potential predictor of outcome in atherosclerotic diseases. Recent interest has focused on secretory group IIA phospholipase A
2 (sPLA
2) in regard to the progression of atherosclerotic disease.
Methods and Results The concentrations of sPLA
2, hs-CRP, and the titers of C. pneumoniae IgG and IgA antibodies were measured in blood samples. The study groups were an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) group, old myocardial infarction/angina pectoris (OMI/AP) group, and a control group. The concentrations of sPLA
2 and hs-CRP in the ACS group and the OMI/AP group were higher than in the control group. The titers of C. pneumoniae IgG and IgA were higher in the ACS group than in the control group. The sPLA
2 concentration was higher in those who were positive to C. pneumoniae IgG/IgA than in those who were negative.
Conclusion Increased concentrations of sPLA
2 reflect participation in the progression of coronary artery disease. The sPLA
2 concentration was higher in patients positive for C. pneumoniae than in those negative for C. pneumoniae, so C. pneumoniae infection poses a greater risk for ACS in those individuals than in those who are free of such infection. (
Circ J 2004;
68: 628 - 633)
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